2020 IS THE YEAR FOR PURPLE

Put a 'Purple Flash' in your landscape



April 17, 2020

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER CHARLA BORCHERS LEON

'Purple Flash' Ornamental Pepper plant adapts well to containers and/or color bowls as shown here thriving on a Victoria garden stair step in full sun.  It is planted with 'Spiced Curry' Coleus, which together provide transition color from late winter into early spring.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN

There are many different cultivars of the Capsicum annuum, and their leaves and fruits add great color to the landscape.  This variegated example illustrates the dark, almost black leaves with brighter splashes of dark purple and overlays of purple-with-white leaves that darken to different shades of purple as they mature.  Small star-shaped purple flowers bloom in early summer at the end of the stem which then produces the round, black fruit.

The Gardeners’ Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Victoria County. Mail your questions in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901; or vcmga@vicad.com, or comment on this column at VictoriaAdvocate.com.

We see a new color trend nearly every year.

Different shades of gray were all the rage last year.

House Beautiful magazine says 2020 is the year of purple.

How appropriate that one of our tough Texas Superstar plants has beautiful purple-black foliage and fruit.

I’m talking about the Purple Flash ornamental pepper plant (Capsicum annuum cv. Purple Flash). For years, pepper plants have been grown in the vegetable garden, but they have become increasingly popular as ornamentals like this pretty one in purple.

This one is a stunning eye-catcher, has edible fruit and has the Texas Superstar rating, which is awarded only when the plant has proven to be heat- and drought-tolerant and does well all over the state of Texas. They must also be disease resistant and easy to propagate so that they are widely available and reasonably priced.


This rating makes the Purple Flash even more popular for our area – and usable all over Texas.

Description
An herbaceous, annual ornamental pepper, Purple Flash is most noted for its exotic, almost black leaves with overlaying splashes of dark purple and white and its abundance of marble-sized black berries.

New pointy leaves are almost white and darken to different shades of purple as they mature.

Small star-shaped purple flowers grow at the end of the stems, which then produce the beautiful black fruit.

Uses
This mounding plant would be beautiful in a mixed border or container. An eye catching combination would be with yellow flowering plants, like marigolds, or other Texas Superstars in shades of purple, such as Angelonia Serena, used in mass planting, bedding, edging and in containers and window boxes. It can be grown on patios and even indoors, if it has enough bright light and heat.

Requirements

• Light, Heat

Purple Flash prefers full sun, but will tolerate some partial shade, especially while getting established. It not only tolerates our Texas mid-summer heat, but flourishes in it. It will grow in most well-drained, rich soils and potting mixes.

• Water

Most Capsicum annuum do not like water on their leaves, so use a soaker hose or hand wand. If this is inconvenient, then water first thing in the morning so water droplets on the leaves will evaporate quickly. Mulching will help keep moisture in the soil from evaporating.

• Temps

Being a hot-weather plant, a late spring frost will do damage, so protect with a frost blanket, if needed. Temps below 55 degrees slow growth and lighten or yellow leaf color.


Growth
Purple Flash is fast-growing but will remain between 12 to 15 inches tall and about 20 inches wide with a mounded shape and is considered a semi-compact plant. It branches freely, so there is no need to pinch new growth unless you prefer it to be fuller.

Issues
Very few pests bother peppers, but keep an eye out for slugs, pill bugs, aphids and leafminers. I’ve seen an abundance of pill bugs in my lawn and flower beds lately.

If humid weather keeps the ground too moist then watch out for leaf spot.

Deer don’t seem to be too attracted to this plant.

Planting
Planting time is now, early spring, but Purple Flash can be planted even into the summer if it is kept moist until established. It will bloom in early summer. It can be propagated from seed if you start it early indoors. It will bear fruit until frost.

While the peppers are edible, they are extremely hot, so they need to be grown away from children’s play areas. They rate rather high on the Scoville heat index and just beg to be picked.

Harvest
If you are one who “likes it hot” then you may wish to harvest the peppers. It is best to snip the ripe fruit off with shears or a knife, leaving a short stub of the stem connected. If the fruit is pulled it will most likely leave an open wound in the pepper that will invite spoilage. Pulling can also cause the whole branch to break off.

Store the peppers loosely, either unwashed or washed and dried, in a plastic bag in the fridge. For best nutrition and flavor, use within a week. Be sure to keep fingers away from eyes when you have handled the fruits.

If you have not grown your plants from seed, it is wise to know if the producer used pesticides on the plants. This might make your peppers inedible.


There are many different cultivars of the Capsicum annuum, and their variety of leaves and fruits add great color to the landscape.

Since the Purple Flash has earned the Texas Superstar status, I encourage you to seriously consider trying it.

Purple Flash Ornamental Pepper Particulars

• Plant type: Annual
• Planting time: Early spring (now)
• Spacing: 15 to 20 inches apart
• Mulch: Reduces water evaporation
• Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
• Size: Height: 12–15 inches tall; 20-24 inches wide
• Soil type: Most well-drained soils/variety of potting mixes
• Foliage: Almost black-purple with overlays of lighter shades
• Blooms: Small purple star-shaped all summer
• Fruit: 1-inch rounds until first frost
• Light frost: Can damage plants, so plant after last frost in early spring
• Special notes: Plants - heat/drought tolerant; Fruits - extremely hot to the taste

Source: TexasSuperstar.com

Places for Purple Flash ornamental pepper in the garden

• Beautiful in a mixed border, container or color bowl
• Eye catching combination with yellow-flowering plants/other purple Texas Superstars
• Pop in mass planting, bedding, edging; in containers and window boxes
• Can be grown on patios, also indoors, if enough bright light and heat